


Feels Just Like the Movies

by Cosmosis12



Category: ITZY (Band), K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, F/F, High School, JYP - Freeform, K-Pop - Freeform, Lia - Freeform, Mentioned Other K-pop Artist(s), Yuna - Freeform, chaeryeong, highschoolAU, itzy - Freeform, jisu - Freeform, ryeji - Freeform, ryujin - Freeform, squintforizone, yeji, yejixryujin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:28:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26361934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmosis12/pseuds/Cosmosis12
Summary: Ryujin is a transfer student who’s just trying to quietly get through her junior year. Unfortunately, life seems to have other plans for her.
Relationships: Hwang Yeji/Shin Ryujin
Comments: 10
Kudos: 56





	1. this is the start. (even if we don't know where we are)

[Streetlights on Mars 2.0 - Jackson Penn](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Xmfzzh_q0)

* * *

“Ryujin.”

The pink-haired girl doesn’t look up.

Chaeryeong frowns. “Ryujin?”

Nothing.

“SHIN IDIOT, WAKE UP!”

“Ah- hey!” Ryujin yelps as Chaeryeong reaches over and promptly plucks the earbud right out of her ear. “Give that back!”

“Good morning to you too.” Chaeryeong doesn’t comply with a beams. Ryujin just grumbles as she reluctantly tucks the earbuds away.

“Hi Ryeongchae.”

“I trust that you’re ready for your first day.” Chaeryeong manages to keep a straight face through all of this. Ryujin has always found that ability of hers super super weird. “Are you?”

Ryujin can’t help the heavy sigh that escapes her. It’s her first day at her new high school; her parents’ work had transferred them to a location that was much too far for Ryujin to have a reasonable commute to her previous school, so she had little choice but to transfer. It brought her to Chaeryeong’s current school, which her childhood friend was more ecstatic about (Ryujin’s always found Chaeryeong really weird and kind of hard to read because she’s always got the same, straight expression on all the time you know? It’s weird. And slightly unnerving at times, but Ryujin’s gotten used to it over the years. Kind of). 

Unfortunately, transferring meant leaving all her friends behind. But she didn’t have a choice; her parents had worked hard for this significant promotion, and the benefits that came with it were just too generous to refuse.

Well. At least she has Chaeryeong.

“Are you ready? Are you? Are you??”

Ryujin almost growls as she slaps away Chaeryeong’s intruding hand. “Cut it out! I’m ready- well, at least I think I am.”

The last part is a much quieter, unconfident grumble- characteristic of Ryujin’s snippy but endearingly saccharine personality. That’s what Chaeryeong has always said about her: that she’s like a little hedgehog. Prickly on the outside but a sweetheart at- well, heart. And while Ryujin could care less about that kind of crap, she does like to think she’s nice enough at heart. _Haha. Heart._

“You’re going to have such a great time here. I totally feel it.”

Ryujin scoffs. “Last time you said that, we ended up breaking the see-saw at that playground across town.”

Chaeryeong looks indignant, shocked, and offended all at once. "That was _one_ time-“

“And then the time before that, we ended up getting kicked out of the ice rink because you were _so_ insistent on the ‘incorrect frequencies’ that the ice machine was making-“

“Okay listen here Shin, I didn’t come all this way to get your dumb ass just to be _disrespected so early in the morning_ -“

“Chae!”

A foreign voice cuts through the air. Ryujin only manages to catch a glimpse of long, dark hair and slender, pale arms before the moving form snatches Chaeryeong into a hug.

Chaeryeong looks delighted. “Lia unnie~”

The girl’s eyes curve into sloth-like crescents as she lifts her head. “Hi! Thought I’d catch you around here.”

Chaeryeong just smiles as she leans into a quick embrace. Ryujin watches as the girl’s eyes finally flicker up to meet Ryujin’s. 

“Hi!” She extends a slender hand, which Ryujin hesitantly accepts.

“Hi. I’m Ryujin, Chaeryeong’s friend.”

Chaeryeong slings an arm around Ryujin's unwelcoming shoulders. “Ryujin here and I go way back. It’s her first day at JYP High, so I took it upon myself to play tour guide.”

The girl- Lia, according to Chaeryeong’s earlier greeting- regards Ryujin curiously. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryujin.”

Creased eyes. Slightly slouched torso. Steady breathing, and loosely-hanging arms. She’s totally relaxed, looks totally in her element, and doesn’t seem the least bit phased in unexpectedly meeting someone new. _Must be a senior._

“Nice to meet you too…” She trails off slightly, unsure of how to address the older girl.

“My name is Julia! You can just call me Lia.” Lia’s eyes curve back into a somewhat lazy smile. “Any friend of Chaeryeong’s is a friend of mine as well.”

_That’s unexpected_. Unexpected, but welcome; Ryujin feels herself somewhat un-tense at the genuine response. Lia just smiles at her again while Chaeryeong looks around curiously. “Are you alone, unnie?”

“Yuna was dragged out early today for morning practice. I wasn’t about to wake up like that, so here I am.” Lia flashes a cheeky ‘v’ sign, garnering an approvingly snicker from Chaeryeong. “I heard that she threw a fit getting out of bed though.”

“I’d expect nothing less.”

Lia turns to Ryujin. “So Ryujin, where are you transferring from?”

_She’s really pretty_. Ryujin collects herself quickly to answer. “Ah, I’m coming from YG High- my parents’ moved for work and it was too far for me to commute.”

Lia seems understanding. “YG is kind of far- good thing you transferred then. The trains get super packed in the evening so you’d have a hassle commuting everyday.”

Chaeryeong nods with faux-sageness, her hand on Ryujin’s shoulder like a parent showcasing their child. “I keep telling her what a great move it is, but she’s still bummed out about it- aren’t you, RyuRyu?”

She rolls her eyes at the horrendous nickname and tries to shrug the offending hand off her shoulder. “Anyone would be.”

“It must be hard."

The older girl’s genuine response has Ryujin a little startled. “I- I just miss my friends and all. There’s not much else to it.”

Lia looks at her silently for one brief second before seemingly defaulting back into her usual, bubbly demeanor. “Well, you’re going to love it here! JYP isn’t a bad place to be- lots of stuff to do nearby and one of the most well-kept schools around.”

Chaeryeong slaps Ryujin’s shoulder with way too much gusto for someone who (apparently) woke up at 5am this morning to make sure Ryujin didn’t bail on her first day. “For sure. Much more than YG- I can almost guarantee you that the air is cleaner! I mean, what high school makes their colors black and black-”

“You’ll make a lot of new friends here. And you can already count me as one.” Lia winks reassuringly. She’s undoubtedly charming. Ryujin can already predict what kind of social circle this girl is accustomed to.

“Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything at anytime- I’ll be sure to keep an eye on you, so just let me know if you need to put Chaeryeong back in her place-“

“I- how dare you!” Chaeryeong gasps, deeply offended, and Lia just bursts out giggling at the younger girl’s response. Despite everything and all her initial apprehension, Ryujin feels slightly better about this whole ordeal as they finally approach the main gates of JYP High.

_Here goes nothing._

*

Her first day goes pretty much how she’d expected: boring, tedious, long. It’s not the worst thing though (although, as life would have it, being the new girl always comes with being the subject of some new gossip. Ryujin just hopes it’ll blow over soon).

Lia had been whisked away somewhere the moment they walked onto school property, barely having time to wave at Chaeryeong and Ryujin who stop by the principal’s office to fetch Ryujin’s schedule before heading to class. Luckily, Ryujin is placed in Chaeryeong’s class and in the only empty seat left- the far left corner by the window. Ryujin has no complaints. She can even doze off if she feels the need.

It’s not great, but it’s not horrible and Ryujin supposes it could be worse. She decides to just try her best to keep her head low, maintain her grades, and just get through the year unscathed.

She walks through the automatic doors of the local library, smiling briefly at the blast of cool air that washes over her skin. The local library is pretty lofty, reaching six stories high with an insurmountable number of books within. It was the first place Ryujin had gone after moving into town, and she’d soon started to spend almost every afternoon perusing the various levels and different sections, cramming as much in as she could before her school workload amps up. Today, she heads up to the uppermost sixth floor. She walks all the way up the long winding staircase until she’s reached the top (luckily, stairs have never really been an issue for her). It didn’t take long for the introverted Ryujin to realize that the higher up she went, the less people there were; likely due to the lack of efficient elevators. No one in their right mind would likely go through the hassle of climbing the excessively long stairwell anyway. Except, obviously, her.

The climb is worth it though. The sixth floor’s walls are tall and made of glass, allowing sunshine to pour through the open space. A lone librarian sits behind the central help desk with his nose buried quietly in a book. An elderly man sits in the far corner with a thick novel, a younger child with glasses at a nearby table reading a young adult chapter book, and no one else as far as Ryujin could see. She’s giddy at the prospect of finding her own quiet, special space in this otherwise animated, bustling town, and 

she sets off to see what she can find.

It’s just as quiet between the shelves as she’d thought it’d be. It’s wonderfully quiet, beautifully serene, and Ryujin’s fifteen minutes into browsing the non-fiction shelf when a foreign presence suddenly leans over right next to her- just when she’d thought there was no one around.

Ryujin all but jumps a foot in the air, literally stifling a scream as she whips around, only to come face-to-face with a wide-eyed, equally surprised stranger.

“What the hell?!”

A tall brunette has a slender hand clutched to her heart. “Are you trying to kill me?! Don’t just jump up like that!” The stranger protests vehemently, shooting Ryujin an incredulous look. Ryujin, feeling affronted, proceeds to glare right back.

“Don’t just sneak up on people like that! I thought there was no one up here, I thought you were a criminal or something!”

“Why would a criminal come to the library?! And I was just trying to reach a copy of that book!” She points to one of the titles on the shelf resting next to the book Ryujin’s currently holding.

Ryujin looks at the book behind her, then back up at the stranger. “Why couldn’t you just ask me to move??”

Tall Brunette blinks. “I didn’t want to scare you.” She replies like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“….”

“……”

“And how did that end for you?”

Tall Brunette scowls.

Ryujin glances up at the book on the high shelf, then back at Tall Brunette. Tall Brunette’s got her arms crossed across her chest as she glares fiercely at Ryujin. “At least I was being considerate.”

Ryujin scoffs incredulously. _The nerve_. She’d bet money on this being the girl’s first time at the library. “You can’t reach that without asking to move anyway, so I don’t understand why you didn’t just ask?”

Brunette glares at her. “Shut up. Of course I can reach it.”

_Really._ Ryujin arches a brow and crosses her arms, planting herself defiantly in her place. “Go ahead then- I won’t be in your way.”

It’s obvious that Brunette can’t reach the book unless Ryujin moves. After a few moments of Ryujin’s stone-silent “do it you won’t” and Brunette’s sullen, silent balking, the pink-haired girl sighs in exasperation, She reaches behind her and easily snatches the book out.

“Here.” She extends it to Brunette who’s still sulking at the ground.

All she gets is a scowl for her efforts. “I didn’t ask for your help.” Brunette snips as she crosses her arms tightly across her chest.

Ryujin stares at her, absolutely disbelieving. “Seriously?”

“…”

“So unreasonable.” Ryujin grumbles tiredly. She carelessly tosses the book onto a different shelf and walks away, taking her own book away with her. _She can’t be bothered with crazy people shaving years off her life in a goddamn library, of all places_.

“Hey, wait! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Tall Brunette is suddenly at her side, discarded book in hand. The sleeves of her light grey sweater are rolled twice, and she keeps up effortlessly with Ryujin’s quick pace. “I really was just trying to grab this- no funny business, I promise.”

Ryujin finally reaches a secluded table right next to one of the magnificent wall-spanning windows. “Sure. Because your methods aren’t totally creepy at all.” She can’t help the sarcasm that bleeds into her voice, although she tries to sound as mild as possible. She tries to get comfortable, opening her book and pushing her glasses up her nose in a vain effort to ignore the other presence before her in hopes that Tall Brunette would get bored, take the hint, and leave her alone.

No such thing. Brunette continues to loiter by Ryujin’s otherwise isolated table, looking faintly apologetic. “I can tell you don’t believe me.”

Ryujin finally looks up to make proper eye contact with Brunette for the first time since they scared the respective shit out of each other. “And why would I believe you? What are you even doing in a place like this, don’t you have soccer practice or something?” She lashes out defensively. _This girl is seriously so freaking stubborn-_

Brunette’s features scrunch in confusion. “How did you know I play soccer?”

“Your sweater does wonders for that mystery."

Brunette glances down at her team crewneck sheepishly. “Oh.” She crosses her arms over the soccer logo looking mildly embarrassed, shifting back and forth on her feet. She’s a lot taller than Ryujin had initially thought, a good few inches taller than Ryujin herself. She’s petite too, for an athlete; slender legs and thin wrists with a sweater that almost certainly wouldn’t fit Ryujin if she scaled to that height hanging loosely on her frame. “But seriously- why would I try any funny business with you?”

“Again, I ask- don’t you have practice or something? What are you even doing here?”

“Practice? Why would I have practice?"

_She’s an idiot. She must be._ Ryujin rolls her eyes exasperatedly, picking up her book again. “Never mind. Just, if you’re here to rag on me about my glasses or whatever, please leave.” She grumbles flatly, trying to avert her gaze from the curves of the girl’s wrist bones and back to the printed words before her.

Brunette tilts her head. “Why would I make fun of your glasses? I have a pair too.” She flops down in the seat across from Ryujin, cat-like eyes staring curiously at Ryujin.

Ryujin glances up over the top of her book, unimpressed, only to see Brunette’s unbroken gaze upon her features. “You didn’t answer all my questions, I won’t answer yours.” She speaks monotonously, desperately hoping that the girl would just leave her here to read alone in peace.

No such thing. “Oh, about practice? We don’t have mandatory practice until tryouts start, although the veterans are already starting up with some skill polishing and whatnot. I decided to take a break though.” She replies, leaning her elbows on the table and her head on her elbows. “By the way, that’s a great book.”

Ryujin looks up, unsure if she’s heard correctly. “This?”

Brunette nods with a smile that’s much too innocent for Ryujin’s liking. “Oh yeah. You’d think you’d want to kill yourself reading it, but it’s actually a really great mix between documentation and story-telling.”

Ryujin raises a brow.

“By the way, I never caught your name-"

It’s the last straw for the already-fed up Ryujin, who promptly shoots up and mutters something about the restroom. She doesn’t look back, not even once.

_What a freak._

*

_“Look at her, doing homework at lunch break."_

_“She’s not as pretty as everyone says she is.”_

_“She doesn’t even have any friends. I bet Chaeryeong and Lia sunbaenim only hang around her because they feel bad.”_

Ryujin purses her lips, trying her best to block out the incessant whispers. Since she’d transferred in, people had been talking. They said many things, many good, and inevitably, many bad. Chaeryeong was usually there to distract her and to stop some of the whispers, but she’d come down with a cold and been absent for the past two days. Most people here were nice enough, but there was always that one girl who apparently decided that she didn’t like Ryujin the moment Ryujin walked into the classroom- and as life would have it, said girl immediately begun to spread all sorts of- of euphamized slander, frankly. Saying all sorts of mean things, being all sorts of classic mean-girl. Ryujin supposes there’s someone like that at every school so she tries not to let it bother her, and it doesn’t (for the most part). That doesn’t change how unnecessary the whole thing is though- she tries her best to ignore the girl’s friends (cursing her good hearing for the first time in her life).

“So, how far in are you?”

Someone who is certainly _not_ Chaeryeong suddenly occupies the seat in front of Ryujin’s, where Chaeryeong would usually sit during lunch. Ryujin has to clamp her mouth shut to keep from screaming, head whipping up in sheer shock. And strangely enough, when she regains her senses, she finds Soccerhead Brunette staring at her casually like it’s the most normal thing to do in the world.

She gapes at Soccerhead for a minute, and Soccerhead just stares back at her with a sort faux innocence, until Ryujin finally replies. “I’m not that far in, but the first fifty pages are actually shaping up like you said.”

A small grin overtakes Soccerhead’s features. People are definitely staring now. “Do you like it?”

“I mean, I don’t necessarily love the topic and all but the story itself is pretty well-told- so far at least.” Ryujin shrugs half-heartedly, still ruffled at how her soul almost just left her body.

The lukewarm response seems to be sufficient for Soccerhead, seeing her oddly pleased smile. “I’ll warn you now though, be prepared for a long reading period. It doesn’t go that fast even though the book itself is good.”

A figure lingering in the doorway of her class catches Ryujin’s periphery. She turns her head to see a tall blonde (who’s obviously an athlete, with her firm build and tied hair) glancing curiously at the two of them with huge eyes. Soccerhead notices Ryujin’s wary side-glance, and upon looking herself, she quickly stands up. 

“Oh, I have to go. I guess I’ll see you around?” She smiles at Ryujin, politely pushing the chair back to its original position.

Ryujin looks up for the briefest moment. “Bye.” She replies flatly, returning her focus to her large book. She misses the look on Soccerhead’s face that looks like she wants to say more, but the blonde’s presence at the door obviously has her deciding against it. The duo leaves quickly, leaving Ryujin to read in relative peace.

Unfortunately, Soccerhead’s surprise drop-in only seems to increase the whispers. Ryujin clenches her jaw in sheer aggravation as she practically breaks her headphones with how fast she whips them out of her bag, trying her best to regain her focus.

_Ugh._

*

Ryujin is mid-way through her second week at JYP High and her first week at JYP High without Chaeryeong, who is still overcoming a nasty case of bronchitis. _Unlucky._

It’s little quiet, a little lonely, but generally she’s been left alone and no one’s been picking on her to her face. Sure there’s a bunch of whispers and there’s still a bunch of rumors floating around about the new transfer student with the daring hairstyle, but no one has dared confront her about anything. It’s easy enough to block them out with her trusty headphones, especially when Chaeryeong’s not here to yank them out of her head.

Usually. But ever since Soccerhead (as Ryujin’s dubbed her in her mind) had dropped by for an unwelcome, unwarranted visit, the whispers had gotten so. Much. Worse.

Ryujin grits her teeth as she tries her best to ignore the weight of her classmates’ stares on her hunched-over form. There’s only so much her headphones can block out.

_“Are they really friends?”_

_“Do you think she’s affiliated with the soccer team somehow?”_

_“I mean, she’s pretty and all but what's her exact relationship with…”_

Ryujin runs through her anger management counting cycles at least twenty-eight times that day. _Freaking Soccerhead._ This is all her fault- why couldn’t she just leave Ryujin alone? How did she even find her that day?? Of all the classes in this school, of _course_ she still managed to find Ryujin’s. A part of Ryujin wants to slam her book down and scream at all the unwelcome spectators that she has absolutely nothing to do with this Soccerhead person, social hierarchy be damned. Another part of her wants to run (wilding) at Soccerhead and tell her off for ruining what was otherwise a perfectly peaceful wallflower existence, one that Ryujin had been so careful to craft upon her transfer.

_Freaking Soccerhead._ This is all her fault. She glares up over the edge of her book to classmates who gape at her like humans at a tank full of exotic fish. Their eyes widen upon meeting her burning glare and quickly look away to any part of the room except her. It pisses her off. It pisses her off even more when their gazes simply and inevitably return to monitor her once her own eyes goes back down to her book.

_Freaking Soccerhead._

*

_“So? How has your second week been going without me?"_

Ryujin grumbles in sheer aggravation as she tiredly collapses on her bedsheets. “Honestly?”

_“Of course. I expect nothing less than the raw truth from you, Ryujin.”_

Ryujin would normally roll her eyes as the clippy sarcasm but today, she can’t seem to find the will. “Well, it was actually alright- until Wednesday.”

She can sense Chaeryeong’s confusion, even through the phone. _“Wednesday? What happened on Wednesday?”_

Her blood pressure’s rising just thinking about it. “This random girl- I don’t even know her name, ugh- anyway, this random girl came out of nowhere and started talking and ever since then people have _not_ stopped giving me the weirdest looks and saying the weirdest shit-“

Chaeryeong cuts off her rant with an inquiry of genuine confusion. _“Girl? What girl?”_

Ryujin waves a hand around even though she knows Chaeryeong can’t see her. “I don’t know and I don’t care, but her head is shaped like a soccer ball so I’ve dubbed her ‘Soccerhead’ in my mind-”

_“Soccerhead?!?”_

Ryujin cuts her off immediately. “You’re missing the point- I don’t know what the deal is with this woman, but ever since she came in toting her stupid soccer sweater and shitty book recommendations, people have not stopped whispering all this random shit when they think I can’t hear them-“

_“Didn’t you say you liked the book you were reading recently?”_

“-and looking at me like they want to kill me or some shit-“

_“Whoa, slow down there- are people saying weird things about you again or something?”_

Ryujin throws up her hands in defeat. "I don't even know anymore. I mean, some are- but no more than that usual group of- of, of _sitting ducks I don’t know_ \- and you know I could really care less about them.”

Chaeryeong’s cough crackles over the phone. _“Have you seen Lia unnie at all this week?”_

“No. I’ve been packing lunch so I don’t have to go to the cafeteria.”

_“I forget how antisocial you can be sometimes."_ Chaeryeong rasps as she finally stops coughing. Ryujin chuckles lightly at the off-handed roast. _“But seriously, you should talk to her if you’re having any trouble with our classmates, or anyone else. She’s a senior and she’s super popular- and she really likes you. She’s been asking about you you know, like how you’re doing and stuff.”_

Ryujin narrows her eyes. “Really?”

_“Yeah, really. If you’re having trouble with anyone, she’ll set them straight for you. She’s always been that type- I know she’s done that for me.”_ Chaeryeong chuckles lightly, mucus still crackling in her throat. Ryujin winces at the congested tone.

“I don’t think I need to go that far- I just don't understand why people are talking about all this stuff.”

_“I haven’t been in school so I can’t say. I'm finally starting to feel a little better though- hopefully I’ll be good by next week.”_ Chaeryeong sounds apologetic. _“I’ll tell Lia unnie to keep an ear out for anything stupid that might involve you. In the meantime, stop being antisocial and go make some new friends!”_

Ryujin scowls. “You can't make me!”

_“Ryujin!”_ Chaeryeong sounds _so_ displeased, even in her sick state. It finally gets Ryujin to smile a little bit.

“Look, I know you’re worried about me, but- I’m fine and I’ll always be fine. I’m just a little annoyed about this whole situation, is all.” Ryujin tries her best to sound reassuring because while she’s not lying about the ‘I shan’t make new friends’ thing, she also knows that Chaeryeong’s genuinely worried about her and her loner personality.

Chaeryeong doesn’t sound any less concerned, but thankfully she drops it. _“Fine. Just you wait till I’m better. I’ll put your ass in its place.”_

Ryujin rolls her eyes. “Don’t you worry about my ass, it’s stuck exactly where it should be. Now go to sleep Ryeong, you sound awful.”

_“I do not! But I will, because I’ve always been a firm believer in the fact that the early bird gets the worm. I will contact you again soon. Goodnight, RyuRyu.”_

“Night Ryeongchae. And stop calling me that."

_“I will once you actually get out of your goddam house and make some new friends.”_

Ryujin immediately hangs up. _“Early birds and worms my ass.”_


	2. is it too late just to talk it out.

[This Time Last Year - Nightly](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4tSL9RLJfc)

* * *

Chaeryeong looks good as new when she finally turns back up at school on Tuesday morning. Too bad Ryujin is too busy sleeping to notice.

“Ryujin.”

The pink-haired girl doesn’t move.

Chaeryeong frowns. “Ryujin?”

Nothing. Chaeryeong huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.

“SHIN IDIOT, WAKE UP.”

“Ah- hey!” Ryujin yelps, startling upright in her seat as Chaeryeong reaches over to pluck the earbud straight out of her ear. “Give that back!”

“Good morning to you too.” Chaeryeong beams. She doesn’t comply with Ryujin’s demand.

_Déja vu._ Ryujin can only sigh.

“Hey Ryeongchae.”

“Hello.” Chaeryeong manages to keep a straight face through all of this. It’s that weird ability of hers again. Ryujin appraises her up and down with crossed arms. 

“I see you’ve recovered.”

“To my full capacity, yes.” Chaeryeong grins back, as satisfied as Ryujin’s ever seen her.

Ryujin finally sits up properly from her desk-nap to mutter a groggy retort. “Good for you.” She stretches her arms out in front of her as best as she can. Her back cracks rather loudly, and Chaeryeong looks _so_ ready to make a rude comment about it but she’s distracted by a text. Ryujin usually doesn’t bother to care, but Chaeryeong’s gaze snaps down so fast that Ryujin can’t resist.

“Ooo.”

“What?” Chaeryeong asks idly, not bothering to look up.

“New booOooOO?”

Chaeryeong is generous enough to spare her a glare this time. “No, Ryujin. It's Yuna.”

“Who?”

“She’s a freshman on the soccer team.” Chaeryeong replies as she types away. “I met her through Lia unnie and some of her friends- the kid’s sweet. She’s colorful, but she’s nice and she’s got a good heart.”

“And?”

“And she wants to go shopping after school today.” Chaeryeong reads aloud from her phone.

Ryujin nods absentmindedly as she stares out at the clouds. “That’s nice.”

“Don’t ‘that’s nice’ me. You’re coming.”

She halts. “What??”

“We’re going to go shopping later today and you're going to come.” Chaeryeong informs her. “So don’t go home.”

Ryujin’s brow furrows. “But I wanted to-“

“Nope. We’re going to wait for Yuna to finish practice, and then we’ll head to the mall. I need more sweaters. And leggings. And socks. And-“

“Okay wait, hold on a sec.” Ryujin cuts her off. “Why can’t I come another day?”

“Because you say that every time, and every time you never come another day.” Chaeryeong starts, but she’s interrupted by a new voice that smoothly segues in. Lia smiles innocently at them from where she’s got an arm resting on Chaeryeong’s shoulder.

“Hey, you two.”

Chaeryeong looks delighted to have found some backup. “Unnie!”

Ryujin sighs in quiet defeat. “Hey, Lia unnie."

Lia graces her with a delighted beam. “Hi there, Ryujinnie!" She reaches over to pinch at Ryujin’s cheek. “How’ve you been?”

Ryujin winces as her face stretches an inch away from where it usually is. “Fine. I’m fine.”

“Glad to hear it!” Lia grins. There's an uncanny amount of attention on them now that Lia’s invited herself into the juniors’ classroom. “Do you like your teachers? Classes?”

Ryujin can only nod awkwardly, uncomfortable with the prickly feeling from all those stares and Lia’s spindly fingers pinching her face. Lia doesn’t seem to care- or notice. Ryujin can’t tell. “Yeah, the teachers are nice. Classes are fine too.”

Lia looks pleased. “Sounds like a good start. So, you’re coming with us today right?”

Her large eyes blink at Ryujin, who almost sweats under the weight of the bubbly senior’s stare. “Um- I didn’t know anything about that-“

“I would’ve told you myself, but I don't have your number!” Lia smoothly slides her phone towards Ryujin, who has little choice but to take it. “And Yuna’s the one who really wanted to go, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to go with her. She tends to be on the wandering side, if you know what I mean.”

“I- I haven’t met her so I wouldn’t know.”

“Would you like to?” Chaeryeong suddenly speaks.

Ryujin makes a noncommittal noise as she’s forced to text herself from Lia’s phone. “Like to what-“

“HELLO! IT’S NICE TO FINALLY MEET YOU!"

Ryujin literally screams, feeling her heart jump straight into her throat as a long, foreign pair of arms squeezes her shoulders tight and plasters up against her back in the strongest hug she thinks she’s ever received from another human being. _Or, at least she hopes it’s a human being._

Lia frowns in disapproval while Chaeryeong looks like she’ll keel over with how hard she’s laughing. “Shin Yuna!”

A blonde (human, thankfully) finally makes her way into Ryujin's line of sight. “Sorry.” She sports a sheepish grin as she pulls up a chair to join their little circle.

Ryujin is still trying to catch her breath, wide-eyed and thoroughly startled. “Who the hell are you-“

“I’m Yuna! Shin Yuna! It’s nice to meet you, Ryu unnie!” The stranger hollers straight into her ear.

Ryujin winces at the sheer volume of the noise in her ear. “Ryu- Ryu unnie?!?”

“We have the same last name!”

Ryujin balks. “I’ve never seen you before in my life!”

Yuna’s eyes are huge, Ryujin notices, as the younger girl shakes her head fiercely. “Yes you have! Once!”

“When?!?”

“I saw you last week! Sitting right here, with your head buried in a book looking all chic and scary!”

Ryujin splutters. “Wh- just because you might've seen me doesn’t mean that I saw you!!”

That finally seems to resonate some reason into the younger girl. “Oh! I didn’t think about that!”

Lia sighs, although Ryujin notes that she seems more than quite used to this. “Yuna.”

Yuna looks over and frowns at the disapproval she’s receiving from the older girl. She turns back to Ryujin “I’m sorry.” She says sadly, puppy eyes on full display.

Ryujin doesn’t know what to say. _Talk about 180._ “Um- it's fine. I was just surprised, is all.”

Yuna is everything Ryujin would expect an extremely chaotic younger sibling to be and it really shows. “You’re coming later though, right? I can’t wait to get to know you more! I’ve heard about you from Chaeryeong unnie and Lia unnie and then I was passing by just now and I saw everyone sitting here so I thought I’d introduce myself and I got a little bit too excited-“

“Yes, she’s coming today. Isn’t that right, Ryujin?" Chaeryeong smiles sweetly at her. It makes Ryujin want to punch her in the face, but one glance at the hopeful look on Yuna’s young face almost immediately crumbles all her remaining resolve. _Like stabbing a scissor into a hot air balloon._

“Uh, yeah, I’ll come. Thanks for having me along."

Yuna whoops _very_ loudly and smacks her hands together in glee. Ryujin winces at the looks they're receiving, but no one else in their circle seems to care any. “Great! I’ll text you all once I’m done with practice- this is going to be great! I’m so excited! Are you excited?? Ryu unnie, this is going to be awesome…”

Ryujin feels her energy levels dropping lower and lower with every passing minute and every passing phrase Yuna screams in her ears. _“What have I gotten myself into.”_

*

“Shin idiot! Keep up!”

Ryujin grumbles crossly to herself at Chaeryeong’s disapproving glare and Lia’s excited wave. She carelessly stuffs the remainder of her things in her backpack to not keep Lia waiting (she couldn’t care less about Chaeryeong, but Lia’s been nothing but kind to her since she’s transferred in and Ryujin doesn’t forget her debts). She joins them shortly at the door.

Lia’s grin is wide and sweet as always. “Ready?”

Ryujin shifts her weight between her two feet. “Yeah, I guess.” She returns the smile, albeit a little awkwardly. “Where are we going?”

She’s promptly tugged down the now-empty hallways. “Just the shopping complex- the one nearby. Have you been?”

Ryujin shakes her head but before she can articulate any further, Chaeryeong graciously jumps in for her. “Ryujin wouldn’t go anywhere even if you paid her. She’s practically one with her couch.”

“Hey!” Ryujin protests as Lia bursts out in a bright laugh.

Chaeryeong tuts at her. “Oh come on, when we were kids you wouldn't even go to the supermarket for ice cream unless I bribed you with pre-obtained cookies-“

Ryujin sighs loudly as Lia continues to laugh. “At least I didn’t break the seesaw when I was seven-“

“Alright Ryujin no need to get _defensive_.” Chaeryeong almost instantly deflates at the remark as Lia bursts into a fresh round of laughter. They bicker some more, exchanging half-hearted insults, until they finally reach the school’s track.

Lia stops them at the extensive bleachers. “Yuna said they would be done in a few seconds.”

Chaeryeong makes herself comfortable as she sits. Ryujin takes a seat quietly next to her, as Lia continues.

“Also, I hope you don’t mind that we have another friend come along. She’s on the soccer team with Yuna-“

“Captain too.” Chaeryeong interjects cheekily. Lia nods.

“She and I have been best friends since middle school- she knows both Yuna and Chaeryeong here and she’s really nice.”

Ryujin shrugs. “I don’t mind.” _Not that she has any choice at this point._

Lia looks relieved. “Great- there they are, I think they’re wrapped up now.” She waves at a familiar blonde head that’s making their way over, along with another girl who’s a similar height as Yuna.

Chaeryeong waves as they approach. “How was practice?”

Yuna bounds over ahead to enthusiastically wrap Chaeryeong in a hug that Ryujin’s starting to associate as characteristic of the younger girl. “It was great! I got slammed in the head twice!”

Chaeryeong looks mildly alarmed, but then the other girl lazily saunters over with her arms crossed loosely across her chest and a (extremely attractive) languid smile on her lips. “What she means is we worked on headers today, and the freshmen got their first lesson.”

_That voice_. Ryujin’s eyes immediately snap up.

“You!”

Soccerhead jumps back, equally surprised. “Me?!? Wait, hold on a minute-“

Chaeryeong tenses up, hand already on Ryujin's arm. “Ryujin? What is it?”

Ryujin’s glare is unmistakably directed at the brunette. “That’s Soccerhead!”

Yeji, aka ‘Soccerhead’, splutters indignantly. “Wh- Soccerhead?!?”

Chaeryeong looks just as shocked as the duo before her must feel. “You mean- oh. She’s the Soccerhead you were talking about??”

Yeji splutters some more. “I have a name, you know!”

Lia is looking back and forth between the two of them, obviously not understanding what’s going on. “Yeji? What are you-“

“I don’t know! Ask her!” Yeji stabs an irate finger in Ryujin’s direction which only serves to incense her more.

“You’re the creep who snuck up on me in the library-“

“ _I’m_ the creep?? At least I told you my name- if only you’d stuck around to hear it! Which is _not_ Soccerhead, I’ll have you know-“

“When did you ever tell me your name-“

“Well obviously _someone_ wasn’t listening- oh that’s right, you _left_ -“

Ryujin feels her jaw lock. “Alright Soccerhead, I don’t know what your problem is-“

Yeji’s eyes look like they’re going to bug out of her head. “ _First_ of all, my name is _Yeji_ , not Soccerhead-“

“All I’m asking is that you lay off whatever bullshit you’ve been telling those idiots in my class-“

“Wha- I only came to your class once!”

Ryujin’s glare intensifies in a clear show of disbelief. Chaeryeong decides now would a good time to intervene, because she can see that Ryujin’s officially pissed and Yeji is an idiot who isn’t going to back down either. “That’s enough, you two!”

Lia’s got a hand on Yeji’s arm to pull her down too. “Calm down please- what’s with you, Yej??”

Yeji throws her arms up in disbelief. "I- what's wrong with _me_?? What’s wrong with _her_?!?”

Ryujin can practically feel her veins throbbing in rage. “You little-“

“Okay! Okay- guys, please. Relax a little."

Then, a small voice comes from the left that has them all turning their heads. “Are we still going shopping?”

Four heads snap almost instantly to the youngest of them, who’s sitting quietly on a bleacher with her hands tucked in her hoodie pockets. She looks small, despite her towering height. So very small.

Ryujin, despite herself, feels herself deflate almost instantly. Chaeryeong seems to sense this because her grip on Ryujin’s wrist slackens significantly. Yeji looks sullen, but a fierce glare from Lia has her quickly giving up as well.

Lia turns to the freshman with a sweet smile. "Of course. In fact, we should leave right now now because I’m getting hungry and I would love to get some bubble tea with like, oh I don’t know, five hundred percent sugar- what do you say?”

Ryujin blinks disbelieving. _“Five hundred percent?!?”_

Yuna’s expression brightens at this, and she gets up to skip to Lia’s side. “Okay! I’m hungry too- practice was really tiring today!”

Lia casts one more fierce glare over her shoulder at Yeji, as she wraps an arm around the younger girl to lead them off.

Chaeryeong looks dubiously between Ryujin and Yeji, who are still casting muted glares of displeasure at each other. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but you two better sort it out. None of you are ruining this for Yuna.” She huffs at them before bouncing ahead to catch up with a back-to-baseline Lia and a chattery Yuna.

Ryujin takes a breath and exhales in shuddery anger, forging ahead as she speeds up, trying to get away from Yeji who just scoffs and throws up her hands.

“Fine! Be like that! Not like I care anyway!”

Ryujin grits her teeth and tries her best to ignore the protests from behind her.

_Freaking Soccerhead. And who drinks bubble tea with five hundred percent sugar?!?_

*

When they all part ways later that night, Chaeryeong immediately turns to Ryujin with a vehement glare.

“So??”

Ryujin keeps her eyes fixated ahead. "So what?"

Chaeryeong is clearly unimpressed with her petty behavior. “Care to tell me what that whole disaster was about?? I didn’t even know you knew Yeji!”

Ryujin can’t help her eyeroll at the mere mention of the name. “You mean Soccerhead?”

Chaeryeong responds with a sassy eyeroll of her own. “Whatever.”

Ryujin sighs, but relents. She tells her everything, from her encounter with Yeji in the library to the disconcertingly malicious whispers she’d been receiving ever since Yeji had apparently decided to drop in on her last week.

When Ryujin’s done, Chaeryeong’s expression has changed from hardened indignance to softened perplexion. “So you think she had something to do with all the things those people have been saying about you.”

“I mean, it’s a little too coincidental for me.”

Chaeryeong is still. “I don’t think Yeji unnie would ever do that though. I know she looks kind of cold, but that girl wouldn’t hurt a fly, much less a whole human being.”

Ryujin scoffs unhappily, kicking at a small stone on the ground. “That’s what they all say.”

Upon sensing her friend’s discouraged condition, Chaeryeong immediately frowns. “Hey- I know people are saying a lot of stuff about you, but it’s probably just them being assholes. I don’t know Yeji unnie all that well since I met her recently, but she’s been friends with Lia unnie for a really long time so I don’t think she’d intentionally do anything like that- we’ll get to the bottom of this, alright?”

Ryujin really, really thinks she could care less. “It’s fine. I just hope I won't see her around again.”

Chaeryeong tries her best to hide her light wince (because she has a strange inkling that that’s not going to be possible for her poor buddy Ryu). “Yeah, hopefully.”

*

“Hwang Yeji, you better have a damn good explanation for this.”

Yeji cowers a little under the weight of her best friend’s icy glare. “Wh- are you kidding me?? You too??”

Lia doesn’t budge, and Yeji supposes she can't blame her because to be honest, Yeji has always been the sketchier between the two of them (and the worse liar). She sighs in defeat. “Alright. Look, I don’t know what to say. All I know is that I met her in the library-“

Lia looks even more suspicious now. "Why the hell were you in the library??”

“-and I saw her in her class one day at lunch so I decided to say hi, and here we are and she hates me and I’m kinda freaking out about it because I really don’t want her to hate me but you’re not going to tell anyone that and-“

Surprisingly, Lia doesn’t destroy her. "Hwang Yeji, slow down please.”

Yeji takes an extremely large inhale of air.

Lia, bless her soul, waits patiently for her to stop hyperventilating. “Alright. Now start again from how you know her- please.”

Yeji tells her everything, from their little encounter in the library to her dropping by Ryujin’s class last week on a whim, to their current predicament in which Ryujin clearly doesn’t like her very much.

Lia tilts her head with a barely-suppressed smirk once Yeji’s done ranting. Yeji halts once she notices the shrewd look, returning the gesture with her own narrowed eyes. “What.”

“Yeji- this is nice and all- but, why did you drop by her classroom when you barely even know her and your only encounter wasn’t really a good one to begin with?”

Yeji halts in her tracks to turn to Lia with clear disbelief. “Wh- well- I- I was just trying to be nice!”

Lia’s cheeky grin could pass for the devil’s. “You like her?”

“Wh- NO!” Yeji wheezes her denial instantly, long fingers coming up to clasp clumsily at her heart.

Lia provides her a wholly unsympathetic pat on the back. “I’m just asking. No need to get so worked up about it- but, now that I think about it, weren’t you telling me about some really pretty girl you met last week at some place you wouldn’t quite tell me where-“

Yeji flushes red faster than Lia’s ever seen her flush red. “Th- that’s different! That has nothing to do with this!”

Lia just looks at her with that all-knowing, all-powerful, extremely excited Choi Jisu look. Yeji gulps.

“I’m serious! Why are you looking at me like that?”

Lucky for her, Lia apparently decides to have a little mercy because she finally lets up and just shrugs, letting her gaze fall away from Yeji’s obviously embarrassed form. “It’s nothing. I’m just glad to hear that you’re not picking on her or anything like that.”

Yeji’s brow furrows between her eyebrows. “When have I ever done that??"

“I know, but her reaction when she saw you kind of led me to conclusions.” Lia muses, one hand on her cheek. “Well whatever is going on here, you better be nice to her- she’s just transferred in and she’s good friends with Chaeryeong. Yuna really likes her and so do I, so you better not mess this up for the rest of us.”

Yeji just sighs in defeat. _She could never win against Lia, even when they were kids._ “Whatever."

*

Yeji’s aware that she can sometimes come off as a little bit arrogant.

Well, that’s not the best way to say it. But as the captain and one of the stars on their esteemed soccer team, Yeji’s come to understand that excellence in many areas doesn’t always completely stem from skill, capability, form, athleticism- and, while those are all important and none to be taken lightly, the possession of all these things isn’t enough to guarantee the success that Yeji has managed to come across in her endeavors.

Confidence. The answer to all of her unspoken life inquiries. Yeji’s pretty sure in her belief that confidence is the key component to at least 75% of her success as a student and an athlete thus far. It’s the core part of her being that takes over whenever she steps into a game, be it a scrimmage or the champion match. It’s what directs her limbs; her body when she’s flying through the air for a header, or sprinting through defenders down the field for a goal. It’s what takes over her mind when she walks into an exam that she knows she’s been studying for. What keeps her engine stay on and focused, even when she thinks her nerves will get the best of her.

Yeji’s never been a particularly bold individual, but the one thing she knows she’s worked hard to construct within herself is confidence. It’s always steered her right. Never let her down. Made her the attractive individual she knows she is, even when she doesn't make the best impression.

She just hopes that Ryujin feels the same way.


	3. yesterday you were only dreaming

[Spark - Taeyeon](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP4ga_fNm-E)

* * *

The week after Ryujin and Yeji’s disastrous encounter, Ryujin finds a note on her desk.

_“I heard that you think I’m the one who’s spreading mean rumors about you. I know you don’t like me, but I promise you I’m not- I hope this clears things up. ~Soccerhead :(“_

Ryujin stares blankly at the little sticky note for a good while. The handwriting is a little hazardous- too crooked to be Chaeryeong’s military-grade script or Lia’s girlish cursive. She supposes Yuna is another possible suspect of forgery in this case, but she also has an inkling that Yuna wouldn’t be so un-confrontational about things- and to be honest, Yuna looks like she’d have nicer handwriting than this. Or worse. Ryujin doesn’t really know- somehow, either seems possible.

She briefly wonders when Yeji had managed to slip in their class unnoticed (and then hopes she was, because if not that would mean another whispery hell for Ryujin this week), but then the bell rings and class begins, so she lets the matter drop from her mind to focus on the equation before her.

It doesn’t drop for long though. When lunch rolls around, she’s promptly distraught to see Yeji at her waving fiercely from behind Lia (who frequently passes their class on her way to the cafeteria to say hi). It’s an annoyingly cheerful gesture; the stupid, bright grin on Yeji’s face doesn’t serve to quell Ryujin’s aggravation at all. Yeji’s apology rings through her head though, and when Yeji makes eye contact with her from behind Lia (who’s talking to Chaeryeong at the door) making a writing gesture, Ryujin discreetly holds up the sticky on one finger.

Yeji’s expression perks up. She tilts her head at Ryujin looking- looking sad? Apologetic? Pouty? Ryujin can’t describe it any other way except for the fact that Yeji looks sorry for the misunderstanding and she seems to be asking for forgiveness- and Ryujin might be protective of herself, but she’s not a total asshole so she sends the senior a brief smile and shakes her head in quiet reassurance.

She watches as Yeji’s whole expression lights up like the night sky on New Year Eve. It surprises her, frankly- the girl looks relieved, happy, and somewhat hopeful all at the same time. Ryujin briefly wonders if Lia knows about any of this, but there’s a brief inkling in the back of her sixth sense that Lia has nothing to do with this.

Lia waves at her again when she finishes talking to Chaeryeong. Yeji does too with a big grin on her face. Ryujin waves back at them- it helps her that no one can tell which one she’s waving too, and then Lia pulls Yeji along as they go off on their way.

Chaeryeong also doesn’t seem to have noticed anything suspicious and she say anything about anything of the matter, so Ryujin doesn’t either. She finishes her lunch while talking with Chaeryeong about their miscellaneous homework assignments and she lets the matter drop from her mind.

*

Yeji is over the moon for the rest of the day. Lia’s been giving her strange looks, although she doesn’t comment on it, and Yeji goes through the rest of her day practically floating on her feet, blessing every soul she comes across, and even breezing through her practices lightly with none of her usual intensity and rigor. It would be alarming if it were anyone else but Yeji,who undoubtedly would return to her usual, focused self, but nonetheless it’s an unusual sight.

_It’s not much, but it’s something._

*

“Yeji unnie’s been acting a little weird lately, hasn’t she?”

Lia turns her head to stare curiously at the freshman across from her. “Yeji is?”

Yuna looks pensive- almost intimidatingly so, given her usual bright, ditzy disposition. “Yeah. I keep thinking about her and Ryujin unnie from the other day- that was so strange of her.”

“Of Yeji?”

“Yeah.” Yuna confirms. “I mean, she’s the captain of the entire team and I’ve never seen her so worked up about anyone, even when we mess up or slack off.”

“Really.” Lia leans forward, schooling her expression as best as she can.

Chaeryeong, who’s sitting next to Yuna, is wearing a similar, thoughtful expression on her face. “It _was_ a little uncharacteristic of Yeji unnie. She’s usually so put-together.”

“Plus, I’ve never seen anyone who doesn’t like Yeji unnie.” Yuna continues. “It’s a little sad- I really like Ryu unnie, you know?”

“Do you?” Lia leans forward with an infuriating tease etched on her lips. Yuna thrashes indignantly in her seat and doesn’t hesitate to chuck a pencil at her.

“Not like that! Actually unnie, I’m surprised that you haven’t said anything about this either- you’re her best friend, aren’t you?”

Chaeryeong suddenly leans forward looking all stoic and extra serious. “You don’t think Yeji unnie likes Ryujin, do you?”

_Oh dear_. Lia laughs in fragmented vibrations. “She- she hasn’t said anything like that to me.”

The younger girls deflate like birthday decorations that have been left out too long. “Oh.”

Sensing their damped mood, Lia can’t help the light snicker that escapes her. “Don’t worry about these kinds of things- I’m sure they’ve just had a misunderstanding or something. They’ll sort it out in no time.”

Yuna pouts as she looks up at Lia with large, large eyes. “But you’ll tell us if Yeji unnie says anything about it, won’t you?”

“Of course I will. Now, what are we going to get for dinner? Teriyaki or sushi?”

“Sushi!” Yuna cheers loudly, knocking all Chaeryeong’s snacks over in her haste, and then just like the that, the subject is forgotten as Chaeryeong scolds Yuna and Yuna hastily picks up the fallen snacks.

Lia can only hope that Yeji is able to get her shit together, before the young ones can _really_ get themselves worked up about it.

*

Lia was right when she told Chaeryeong and Yuna that Yeji hadn’t said anything to her about Ryujin, but she doesn’t have to wait long for that to change.

She yawns into her hand. Yeji had busted into her house earlier in a frenzied, panicked, I’m-going-explode-if-you-don’t-talk-to-me-right-this-second-now-come-and-keep-me-company kind of chaotic mood. It’s nothing Lia hasn’t experienced though, and she already knows how to handle Yeji when she gets in one of her moods: let her come in and let her burn off some of that nervous, messy energy before trying to talk sense back into her.

And here they are. Lia is trying to resume her catnap, while Yeji babbles incoherently to herself about things Lia just doesn’t want to listen to right now. It seems to be coming back down to a more stable point though, so Lia finally pushes herself up off her back to stare at the blur in her room with absolutely no concern.

Yeji paces back and forth in Lia’s room agitatedly.

Lia tries her best to ignore the constantly moving figure in front of her windows as she yawns into her hand. “Could you just slow down for a minute?”

Yeji abruptly halts mid-turn and turns to glare at her best friend. “You don’t understand!” She lets out a little shriek, somewhere between a scream and a yelp.

Lia rolls her eyes. “So you’re here because you’re all worked up about some girl.”

“I- yeah. That’s pretty accurate.”

Lia stares at her blankly. “Well? Do you want to talk about it?”

Yeji seems like she’s about to say something but she hesitates, and then she doesn’t- she resumes her pacing across the room instead. Lia sighs, because obviously Yeji is here because she wants to talk about it but just doesn’t know where to start.

“So, how long have you had feelings for her?"

Yeji doesn’t stop pacing to answer. "Um, pretty recently. I just met her.”

Lia’s already got an inkling about where this is going (her intuition is almost never wrong), but she lets Yeji go at her own pace instead. “Where’d you meet?”

Yeji blushes a little, head ducking down as she responds. “Um, I guess I met her at the soccer fields.”

This has Lia narrowing her eyes. She appraises the girl before her keenly. “One of your fans, perhaps?”

Yeji’s following wince doesn’t escape Lia's sharp eyes. Lia focuses in carefully on her target, who mutters her next words. “No. I don’t actually know if she likes me at all- as a human. Forget romantically.”

“Interesting.” Lia hums. It's kind of funny for her as she sits here doing her Yeji-best-friend duties. Contrary to popular belief, Yeji hasn’t really had much experience with these kinds of things (even though she’s not nearly dearth of admirers). The girl had always found a reason to stay (more or less) single, and as a result, Yeji has always been more alert when there’s a female in her life, or anyone else of that nature. But even so, Yeji’s always been a bit oblivious and not so detail-oriented, and seeing her all worked up like this-Lia has to admit, she’s curious.

“Does she go to our school?”

“Mhm.”

That narrows her guessing game down quite a bit. “What’s her name?” She asks, rolling over onto her stomach and looking up at the esteemed soccer captain (who’s still a mess and freaking out in her room, what a sight).

Yeji’s pacing gets faster. “No, you don’t understand- you don’t understand.” She says it somewhat frantically, glaring at Lia’s fluffy blue rug for a moment before turning on her heel to pace the other way.

Lia waits, unimpressed with the display before her. She knows the girl too well- she waits with folded hands until Yeji finally halts in her tracks for a moment to speak again.

“She- she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen in my life.”

_Oh my._

“What a statement.” Lia blinks in surprise. She quickly scrambles up and stares scrutinizingly, with as much intent as she can muster.

Yeji is still pacing, looking as frustrated as ever.

“Wait, are you serious?!” Lia’s eyebrows shoot up, trying to organize the situation. She gapes at the oh-so calm and composed Hwang Yeji.

“Do I look un-serious to you?!”

The intense admission has her started. “What brings all this about? Who’s the girl anyway?”

“Chaeryeong’s friend.”

“Chaeryeong or Chaeyeon?”

“Did I stutter?”

Lia blinks. “Chaeryeong? Lee Chaeryeong?”

“Yes, Lia. What other Chaeryeong with a sister named Chaeyeon do you know.”

“Which friend?”

“The pretty one.”

Lia wastes no time hurling one of her pillows at Yeji for her display of insularity, missing by at least five inches. “You’re not helpful.”

“Look, just- just tell me how to talk to someone and not look like an idiot.”

She sighs to herself as she takes in Yeji's current state. “Not once in my life did I think I’d ever live to experience Hwang Yeji freaking out over some girl. Do I even know this person?”

“Probably. Just answer the question!”

None of this is making immediate sense to Lia. “Yeji, since when have you ever been anxious about talking to anyone? Everyone loves you. And if they don’t, they will soon once you get over there and actually try to start something. Why are you so intimidated all of a sudden?”

“Because- because- you don’t understand!”

“Understand what, you idiot? Just talk to her!”

“LIA PLEASE.”

“You never even told me the girl’s name.”

Yeji sighs and runs a hand through her messy locks. “It’s Ryujin.”

Lia’s eyes widen significantly. While she had her hunches, she didn’t expect such a conspicuous answer. “Ryujin? Shin Ryujin?”

“What other Ryujin do you know??”

Lia plays the jokester for now, whistling and leaning back with a sly grin. “Damn Yeji. I knew you had it in you- she’s totally hot!”

Yeji looks furious. “Shut up! I’m having a small crisis here, can’t you see??”

_An unfavorable response_. Lia winces. “Are you for real?”

“Do I look like I’m for fake?”

Lia finds the snappy retort totally unnecessary. It’s stultifying. She sighs, trying to hide her eyeroll. “Chill out will you? I’m just asking. There’s no need to freak out so incessantly too, it’s just a girl.”

Yeji freezes in her tracks and then proceeds to whip around and give Lia the frostiest glare she’s received in a while. “ _Just_ a girl?!? _JUST_ a girl?!? NO. NO LIA, IT IS NOT ‘JUST A GIRL.’ THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WOMAN, DO YOU UNDERSTAND.”

“Yikes. You’re deadass.”

“DO I LOOK LIKE I’M LIVE-ASS.”

Despite the supercilious display, it’s clear enough that Yeji is actually having something of a crisis and that she’s not being the normal drama queen she normally is. Lia surrenders.

“Okay okay! I’m sorry! Why don’t you come with us to the party this Saturday then? It’ll take your mind off of things.”

Yeji doesn’t look pleased. “You know how I feel about those stupid parties.”

“They’re fun sometimes and people expect us to show, you know. We’re usually the first ones invited. Especially you Miss. Soccerhead, yet you pretty much never show up anywhere.”

“I get tired easily, okay! And why does everyone call me that?!”

Lia throws another pillow at the girl. “That’s not an excuse Yeji- I’ve seen you run for ninety minutes straight and live to work out after. I’ll pick you up around eight this weekend.”

Yeji frowns. “Who’s hosting?”

Lia hums an absent response as she lays back down to scroll through her messages. “The cheerleaders? I think?”

_Great._ Yeji exhales, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Wonderful. Are you really going to drag me to this?”

“Um, of course Miss. Team Captain. You’re like, expected to show up. Do you know how embarrassing it is for people when you don’t?”

“Why would they care? There’s usually a bunch of people anyway, what’s the difference if I go or not?”

“Um hello, it’s not about how many people go all the time, it’s about _who_ goes.”

“… and?”

Lia would love to smack her. “And you’re the freaking captain of the most prestigious athletic institution for the next forty something miles?”

“Wow. Lot of big words. It’s dangerous to use your entire vocabulary in one sentence, you know.”

She feels the veins on her forehead start throbbing and figures that this is how Ryujin must feel in order to not like Yeji very much. “Can you not-“

Yeji dismisses her with a quick wave of her hand. “You’re getting off topic. Don’t miss the point, Lia.”

Lia blinks. “What… what exactly was the point to begin with?”

Yeji rolls her eyes and Lia exerts an extreme amount of self-restraint to prevent herself from lunging at the girl right then and there. “The point is,” Yeji enunciates carefully, emphasizing her gestures, “that I don’t want to be social and I wanted you to give me advice on how to talk to pretty girls I like without looking like a moron.”

“Wanted?”

Yeji shoots her a pointed glare. “Yes, wanted. I don’t want your advice anymore. I think that no matter what, my own advice to myself would be better than yours.”

“Then why did you even ask??”

Yeji ignores her and resumes pacing across the spacious room.

_There is no reasoning with this woman._ Lia groans to herself but repositions in light of her friend’s apparent struggle, looking up with fresh vigor.

“Just don’t worry about it now. Fine, she doesn't like you- so what? It’s the weekend soon, so just let loose and come to the party with us, okay? We can deal with this next week.”

Yeji frowns. “You know I don’t trust you.”

“Ouch. That really hurts, you know.” Lia rolls her eyes.

Ignored yet again. Yeji continues to pace. “I just don’t understand. I just don’t understand!”

Lia sighs as she lays back down, surrendering the long-gone consummation to Yeji’s girl problems. It’s going to be a long, long evening.

*

“It’s hopeless.”

“What?? No way! C’mon, are you serious??" Lia jumps up to appraise Chaeryeong’s stony expression.

“I brought it up once.” Chaeryeong starts slowly. "And she wasn’t having any of it.”

“Whaaat? Nothing? Not even a smile?”

“Not even a casual one.”

Lia sighs and all but flops down onto Yuna's couch with the biggest frown. “That’s no fun!”

“Are you sure about all this, Lia unnie?" Chaeryeong asks cautiously as she takes a seat on Yuna’s armchair. “I mean, Yeji hasn’t said anything to either of us, so-“

“I’m _so_ sure! And that’s probably because she’s scared- I mean, she knows that you’re close with Ryujin so you’re out. She’s obviously not going to say anything about Ryujin to Ryujin and Yuna- well, you know how she is when she gets excited.”

“I heard that!” Yuna screams from the kitchen where she’s assembling some snacks.

Lia ignores her. “As I was saying- Yeji’s just nervous. I mean, think about it.”

“I can see that.” Chaeryeong nods. “But, I don't know how to bring it up with Ryujin. She’s totally unreceptive.”

Lia frowns thoughtfully. “Is it like, she doesn’t want a relationship at all or is it because it’s Yeji?”

“I don’t really know.” Chaeryeong admits. “We don't really talk about that stuff, and her mouth is usually shut pretty tight. I do know her last relationship wasn’t so great though, which is why I’m guessing she’s fed up with relationships in general.”

“What happened?”

Chaeryeong shrugs again. “I don’t even know everything because she won’t really talk about it- she was still at YG High and I was here so I wasn’t around for it. She’s only mentioned it once or twice, and every time I asked she kind of went around it so.”

“Interesting.” Lia muses. “Well, if she doesn't want to talk about it I guess it’s not our place to press- but, I really hope she’s not totally closed off to the idea of someone in her life right now because I happen to know a _very_ eligible Hwang someone and they’d be super cute together-“

“Hwang someone? Is that what you’re going to call her??”

Yuna chooses this exact moment to come out balancing a platter of mini pretzel sculptures. “I agree! I definitely agree!”

Chaeryeong just sighs as she leans back in her seat for the first time today. _She’s tired_. “I’m still skeptical that Yeji likes Ryujin that way.”

“It should be fine!” Lia concludes rather cheerfully. Yuna and Chaeryeong’s eyes both snap up to look at her.

Yuna blinks hopefully. “Really? You think?"

Lia waves a hand in the air carelessly as she stuffs more snacks in her mouth. “Yeah, why not! Yeji might not look like it, but she’s got balls of steel- I’m sure she’ll find a way around all this!”

“Really????”

“Yeah, yeah! She’s smart, she’ll figure it out- I say we should sit back and just stop worrying about it!”

“Really?!?!?”

“Yeah, of course! What could go wrong?"

*

The answer: everything.

“Ryujin! Hey, Ryujin! Wait up!”

Ryujin grits her teeth and tries her best to walk faster. Unfortunately, Yeji is quite athletic.

“Are you ignoring me??”

Ryujin pops out an earbud and turns to blink as innocently as she can at Yeji. “Did you say something?”

Yeji, bless her soul, doesn’t catch on to a thing. “Why are you in such a rush??”

_Another week, another Yeji_. Ryujin sighs. “I was trying to get away from you.”

“What?!? Why??”

“Because you’re annoying.” Ryujin lays out flatly. Yeji looks wounded.

“I thought we were good!”

Ryujin speeds up a little more. “We are.”

“We’re clearly not. You’re still mad??” Yeji speeds up as well, doing an impressive job considering she’s practically running sideways in her efforts to get Ryujin to face her. “For what??”

Ryujin doesn’t know how to put this. “I- I’m not mad at you.”

“Well I must’ve done _something_ for you to be running away like that.”

“I-“ Ryujin finds herself eternally frustrated by the sheer persistence of this girl. “How do I put this.”

“Just say it!” Yeji, to Ryujin’s annoyance, seems to have no problem keeping up with her celerity. Or speaking her mind.

Ryujin exhales, but quickly makes up her mind upon remembering the sheer vehemence in her classmates’ eyes when they saw her talking to Yeji. She also remembers her initial goal, upon transferring, to stay as down-low as possible- it’s enough for her to move forward. “I just don’t like you!”

Too bad Yeji isn’t having it. “Why not?!”

Ryujin grits her teeth. _That’s it_. She makes a split-second decision to try to end it right here, right now.

She finally whips to face the older girl, halting in her tracks. Yeji almost trips over her own momentum. “Look, I’m sorry for thinking you were saying all that stuff about. I know it wasn’t you- I’m sorry for assuming. Really.”

Yeji is obviously caught off-guard by the sudden apology. “Why are you-“

“I hope this clears any misunderstandings between us. I never meant to inconvenience you- I hope you can overlook it going forward.” Ryujin promptly folds herself into a ninety-degree bow. Yeji is flabbergasted.

“Stop that you’re scaring me-”

“Goodbye sunbae. Have a good week.” Ryujin raises herself back up with an oddly bright grin, and promptly speeds away.

“Wh- hey! This isn’t how I wanted this conversation to go!” Ryujin hears Yeji screech from behind her. She pretends not to hear. She also pretends, to all the nosy onlookers, that she isn’t the one Yeji is currently addressing.

“Did you hear me, Shin Ryujin?!? This isn't over!”

_So much for anonymity. Freaking Soccerhead._


End file.
